First up, I’m chatting all things career pivots, building a portfolio career, balancing multiple things, preparing financially, and more this Wednesday 9am PT / 12pm ET. If you’re curious about any of this (or other q’s that have come up when reading my newsletter), RSVP here to attend live and/or get the recording!

Last week, I officially announced Just Start! It’s a 6-week cohort for those of you who are ready to find work that’s meaningful but aren’t quite ready to step away from your current paycheck.

It’s focused on taking action, building momentum, and getting clarity alongside others implementing their mini career experiments.

So far, marketing this launch has been really fun—I get to be creative, and I don’t have to ask anyone else for approval!

But even after 7+ years of launching products at tech companies, putting my own product out there feels hard. It’s so vulnerable to launch something of your own!

As a marketer, I’m familiar with the “rule of seven” which states “a potential customer should encounter a brand’s marketing messages at least seven times before making a purchase decision.”

That means I have to talk about the cohort A LOT.

While I’ve built up a muscle of sharing publicly online, it doesn’t mean that I have sales in the bag.

I know some of you have felt this way too.

Whether you’re selling an offer, trying to find potential clients, or reaching out cold to new connections during your career pivot, selling can feel unauthentic to who we are.

But the thing is: sales have changed.

Instead of being sold to like Danny DeVito’s character in Matilda (the pushy, slimy used-car salesman), we want to buy from people we trust. We want to feel heard and get help with our specific problems.

I talked to a woman a few months ago who told me that she wanted to build her health coaching business, but she felt weird reaching out to potential clients because she didn’t want to bother them.

She lacked confidence because she never had a client before. When I asked her more about her prior experience, she told me her story and talked about the health coach certification she already had obtained.

I explored the idea that selling is serving: when you have something that truly meets someone’s need, reaching out (within reason) isn’t pushy. It’s helpful, generous, and kind.

Working in B2B SaaS, I worked with Sales teams. The biggest lesson I took away is that good sales people are great listeners.

It seems counterintuitive to the Matilda example earlier, but sales is about listening to your prospect’s challenges and putting yourself in their shoes.

Now that I’m in both the marketing and sales seat, I’m constantly listening to what I’m hearing and brainstorming ways to create content, tell my story, and produce events that answer your questions.

People resonate with authentic stories.

If you’re selling a product or service, talk about why you’ve built the product or service and show them your excitement.

If you’re reaching out cold on LinkedIn looking for a referral, talk about why you really want to work there (people can tell when you’re faking it).

Tailor your story to the person you’re talking to and speak from the heart.

They say time closes deals and that is true, but I also believe that selling is a long game. Sometimes the person who you connected with two years ago finally has the perfect opportunity on the team.

So selling (and marketing for that matter) is really about showing up consistently and patiently, offering help along the way.

Despite knowing that I might sound like a broken record talking about my cohort nonstop these next few weeks, I also know that there are some of you who resonate deeply with what I’m building—those who want the support, accountability, and are ready to take action.

What’s something you’ve been holding back—whether it’s an idea, a project, or a personal goal—because it feels vulnerable or scary to put it out into the world? Reply back to this email to let me know ❤

It finally seemed like the first “normal” week I’ve had since coming back from London. I was in NYC, working on the launch, executing on client work, and hanging with friends.

I also went to two community events and this fall, I want to connect with more people IRL. If you’re in the NYC area, feel free to share the ones you’re attending, so I can tag along or share in this newsletter.

I’m also planning to host one in October or November so keep your eye out for that soon.